>> in just under an hour, congressman scalise and his house colleagues return for legislative work -- legislative work. thiseek they'll be taking up legislation to address the epidemic. ioid over two dozen bills on the calendar for this afternoon. they are back at 2:00 p.m. eastern. we'll have live coverage. u.s. senate is also in session today. they'll gavel back in after arty lunches at 2:15 over on c-span2. continuing work on the defense authorization bill and historic note in the senate today with the majority leader, mitch mcconnell, passing bob dole as the longest serving republican leader in the u.s. senate history with a tenure of 11 years, five months, and 10 days. senate coverage live at 2:15 eastern over on c-span2. while we wait for the house to come back in, we'll hear more the the north korea-u.s. north

korea summit that wrapped up in singapore from this morning's "washington journal." , the executeall director of the arms control association for -- association. have you, how much closer do you think we are today to a denuclearize korean peninsula? john. good to be here, it is much better that the two are talking than exchanging threats of having nuclear missile threats. --s is just the first threat first step in a long process. basicmmit communique is and minimal basis for the further negotiations that secretary mom -- secretary pompeo are going to have soon to hammer out the details of what denuclearization entails.

how we can guarantee that security will begin airing tv -- how nuclear weapons it can guarantee that security uaranteed without nuclear weapons, that is hard work. it looks a lot like the tt.-north korea of 1994 halted plutonium production by north korea for eight years. it looks like the agreement in 2005 with president george bush. are there going to be real actionable steps -- that is the measure of success. i'm concerned about the lack of specificity in the communique.

it is understandable after meeting lasting only a few hours, it is not going to lay out all details. it is not clear yet what denuclearization entails. it is not ear whether they agree on the pacing and sequence we cannot say, mission accomplished, yet. there is a long way to go and a good start. host: what are some of those definitions of denuclearization that may be at odds? guest: the united states has made it clear in a number of statemts that we consider theclearization to be removal of all nuclear weapons of the stockpiles of material, nuclear test site and a permanent end to nuclear testing, this man filling the reactors and facilities used,

and a commitment to work with the united states to make sure at the scientists involved are not using their expertise in the future. the north koreans have a sligly different definition. plus, u.s.that military assets that could be used to launch nuclear weapons or to strike regime in the strike and could that is what the north koreans are worried about. working off the first definition, you mentioned concrete actions. what would be the first couple action steps that would be necessary for that to happen? guest: when need to look at this

in phases. to make surese is north korea has frozen its program. we cannot ducarize ifhey are improving their arsel.northa of important first steps. president trump talked about they stopped ballistic missile testing, closing their test site, ending the clear test explosions, but they continue to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons. for the trump administration has to be to solidify those. we have got to make sure that heey are boasting dismantling of test facilities and production. soon after, we need to have a declaration from the north koreans of their program.

what do they have? where is it? so inspectors can come to check arsenal to make sure the declatn accurate and where we need to go to remove the stockpiles and disabled facilities. understandingyour ofhe size and scope of the arsenal right now? programorth korea's today is far more substantial a decade ago when we last confronted them. today, they have approximately nuclear devices. they have a quantity of material that could be used to make and theyl weapons could make as many as 100 weapons if they could continue to produce. they have hundreds of buildings at dozens of sites involved in nuclear weapon design, production, manufacture, and

assembly. of testingzens facilities and the sites that can theoretically launch a nuclear warhead across the pacific to the continental u.s. that is the basic scope. just seven months ago, the north koreans conducted a nuclear test explosion, 200 kilotons in scale . that is a very large device. host: is that the one that clashed a research facility? guest: right. soon after the test last fall, seismic the section devices found that there were collapses where the test was conducted. that test probably damaged that utuntain, the geology, b

when journalists were allowed to witness the closing of the test ago,ls a couple of weeks the north koreans revealed the layout of the site. it looks as thoughhe three or four other tunnels that ma beey have used. there are many mountains in north korea and there is no guarantee that if they shut down test site, they cannot conduct a nuclear test explosion years later at another site. ha brought northea to the negotiating table today. do you disagree? guest: i would disagree. the north koreans set out over a year ago to complete a nuclear deterrent capability. to prove that they had an ntinental capability and they went ahead and proved they had that ability.

they also wanted to detonate a large nuclear device with a large explosive yield. they did that. what happened, kim jong-un decided that he can go into negotiat we united states from a position of strength. because in as a coequal i ha nlear capability that could deter an attack from the united states. that is what led to this process, not the threat to fire and fury. not necessarily the sanctions that were put in place. they are having an effect but not enough to stop the program called. chips perof the other on the table after the signing of the agreement released is the promise to close a missile testing facility. president trump talked about it in his press conference. what the facility is and how important that is to the

denuclearization process. -- process? guest: that would be a positive step. i have not been able to find out what facility. we have to be careful about north korean promises to close things without international monitors to be there to understand what exactly they did. did they shut it down and did any do it and in -- it in irreversible way? secretary pompeo needs to sit down with his north korean counterpart and work down an action for action plan based upon clearer details, technical understandings of what needs to be done and how and overseen by whom, and then we could be a short this process is moving -- we could be assured this

process is moving. host: daryl kimball, would you be involved in any sort of monitoring process? guest: we would not be. my wife when not allow me to go to north korea. in all seriousness, this is going to take a massive effort on the part of intergovernmental organizations whose job is to onitor for these things. the international atomic agency needs to be involved to make sure the declaration that the north koreans provide is correct. they have a team that is ready to go to do the initial monitoring and verification of the shutdown of a reactor that might be producing plutonium. they are ready to go in through the nuclear test sites to provide information in confidence that the test site is shut down.

it will be good at the north koreans were asked to make their commitment a legal one. then we get to the actual weapons, that is going to require a specialized team consisting of technical experts from thenited states, russia, china who are familiar with nuclear weapons design to work with north korean scientists and engineers to disassemble the weapons ideally in north korea. that is going to be a difficult process. host: daryl kimball taking your calls and questions. republicans,, --,dependents

, (202) 748-8000, (202) 748-8001 , (202) 748-8002. caller: the only people tha they keep their countries in line is thugh tynts. they te every country that is free and their whole goal is to keep their propaganda going and keep trying to infiltrate. i feel so sorry for our good leaders who have to decipher who are the communists in america who are trying to do the same thing and sabotage our country. with enough countries that we have to look at what they are doing. then, we have to look at our country and all around us. if you say the 45 goals of the

communist party stated in the congress, we know what they are. you are aware, you can see lingo.aks the communist our colleges are full of are left and0% they promote communism. kimball,, was there anything that you want to pick up on? north korea is an authoritarian regime and they call it communism. lose sight of who we are dealing with, what is going on inside north korea, there are millions of people who are suffering because of the poverty as a result of their poor economy and the command economy there. that is something we need to be is desperateit

human rights problems in north korea ended the later phases of this by log, if it gives going -- these needeed to be issues that president trump puts on the table to try to bring a positive change inside. host: jack is next come publican. good morning. hi, i am a retired engineer with a germanic background. , thisason i am calling gentleman who is left of center, isks about what north korea america possibility are equal. he knows and i know that at the united states could obliterate north korea anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes with a massive operation.

but they do not want to do that. my wife happens to be japanese from japan. those s hatwco had a sordid history going back to 1910. host: the java question in there, jack? -- did you have a question in there, jack? we lost jack. guest: we are a nonpartisan association so the nuclear threat is something we must all agree on. statesrue, the united and our allies in south korea and japan have an overwhelming conventional military superiority to these of north korea. however, if there is any military confrontation along the z in korea, the results would be catastrophic.

any conflict would quickly escalate. hundreds of thousands of people could be killed in the first few days. when nuclear weapons are volved, there is a strong possibility that north korea ofld resort to the use nuclear weaps. tens of millions of people would be in jeopardy. there is a military option, we could destroy north korea. but also, millions of south koreans, hundreds of thousands of americans in that area would be at risk. it would be a catastrophe like nothing we have ever seen. that is why president trump is pursuing a diplomatic option. he understands, i think, the cost of failure here. host: does the united states keep any warheads in south korea? guest: no, we do not. administration and that withdraw

opened the way for this 1992 north-south denuclearization agreement. for many years, the north koreans were complaining that the united states had nuclear weapons on the peninsula. that is why they considered pursuing nuclear weapons. they do not have that excuse anymore. we do have the ability to strike with nuclear weapons from long distance. that is what the north koreans fear and they do not want to see the clear strike systems anywhere near the korean peninsula involved in war exercises that go on on a regular basis with south korea to make sure that our forces are working together. host: gloria, independent. caller: thank you for taking my call. my comment that i would like to add is i think americans should

.ome to a higher level the good of people and the good of human beings, the good of the people that needs to occur in north korea and their neighbors in japan and south korea. china, russia, just start thinking more about the group and leave our hatred behind. host: did you want to talk a little bit about the regional allies and the summit from their perspective? japan, south korea. guest: sure. great point.kes a there is a yearning from the see inpeople who want to end to this decade-long animosity. when he to recognize, there is a ation aboutel

the possibility of peace but there is also a nervousness about how this process is going to evolve. korea oh to see the process move forward. they want to see concrete action on denuclearization, but they also want to be sure that as the process goes along, the united states will tre with conventional forces to help a conflictm in case on the peninsula. -- in case there is a conflict on the peninsula. also is a nervousness but a hope that this is going to move forward to. we will hear this from japan's president and south korea's president. host: dayton, ohio, craig is a republican. good morning. caller: good morning. i would like to point out that

my personal beliefs is there i no negotiations with north korea. for years, you guys have attempted to negotiate with them and they have coinuously refused. the diplomatic response with china is to get them on our side so we can handle north korea. america stands for justice and liberty for all. not just for americans but everyone. i feel like it is our duty to intervene and save these people. host: can you pick up on the chinese perspective a little more? guest: china has been a key part of this entire equation. support for the denuclearization process and also the pressure, diplomatic, economic, and political on north korea to encourage them to

follow through. china has three main concerns here. denuclearizea peninsula -- denuclearized peninsula. they do not want to see a north korean regime collapse that could lead to a refugee crisis. they also do not want to see a conflict on the korean peninsula which would bring more u.s. military forces to the region. they see that as an indirect threat to their own sovereignty. china has multiple interests they are trying to balance. helpful working with united states and the international community to tighten the sanctions on the regime. it is with or through china. toy are going to continue play an important role for it the thing i would encourage people to watch for is if this bearmatic process does not

fruit and have donald trump appears to the walking away from negotiating table prematurely and eyes of beijing, the chinese thenot be ready to reapply maximum pressure policy that the trump administration has pursued. words, we may not be able to go back to the point that we were a few months ago where we had maximum support from the international community to bring the negotiators to the table. host: gate out on the timeframe of when that might be considered premature -- can you talabout the timeframe when that might be considered premature? guest: that is impossible to answer. the chinese have a long view of this problem. they do not expect fast results and we should not be expecting fast results with this process. what we should be expecting is steady progress. the hundreds of buildings, dozens of facilities -- this is

going to be a complex operation that under the best of circumstances, will take years to accomplish. the chinese are not going to be impatient with that process, but -- mightt be them be disappointed if united states walks off six months from now. they will want the united states to continue to be persistent and to continue forward with the diplomatic process. host: you trust that they will be able to tell the difference between walking the way anna negotiating tactic -- and a negotiate in tactic? -- anna negotiating tactic? guest: i do not know. @dar on twitter, ylekimball. now, post summit.

joe is in new york, line for democrats. caller: good morning. aren't we still technically at war with the kor? they never signed a peace treaty. guest: you are right. thatis one of the issues will be on the negotiating table in the weeks ahead. one of the things the north koreans are looking for in terms that thessurance hostile policy towards the north perhaps the declaration that the war with north korea is over. and the start of negotiations on a formal peace treaty wit north, the south, and china and united states. the parties that were in conflict in the 1950's. that is something we need to work for.

that will likely give kim jong-un the assurance he needs before he abandons his nuclear program and allows his nuclear arsenal to be dismantled. host: to missouri, robert. good morning. caller: good morning. how are you? host: well. with all of the great to the rest of the world, one of the thingthat the western world has never been -- to do you verycannot hear well and we will work on that connection. we will go to mark while we were working on that in pennsylvania. lines republicans, go ahead.

-- line up for republicans, go ahead. president trump has been getting it from both sid o the aisle ever since he took office and before he took office. trumphould let trump be and let him do the work he is doing. he has actually made history more than any president in the last 30 years. he has made history in a positive manner and they were all saying, they are going -- he is going to get us into war, and look what he has done. so far, nobody wants to give him the credit he deserves. the democrats and republicans keep throwing him under the bus. host: there are a lot of people who been working on the north korean nuclear problem who have given president trump credit for in 2018. diplomacy my organization, the day that president trump accepted the

invitation from kim jong-un, we praised that step. we also cautioned that this was a first step in a long process. if you listen to president trump's press conference following the summit with kim will hear that president trump believes this is going to work because th -- he trusts kim jong-un. i'm willing to give him credit for making this a head of state summit. and can movetant mountains and chge witthe bureaucracies do. but, we have a long way to go. we cannot base this process on personal chemistry. this process is going to extend for many years. the president is going to me the support of the congress, republicans and democrats to carry this out in a verifiable

manner. host: the press conference took east around a.m. coast time. if you want to listen to it, you can do so at c-span.org. the press conference lasting significantly longer than expected. daryl, something you talked about about how far along north -- were the international community's surprised by the speed of development and if so, why? around10 years ago, 2005, 2006, north korea conducted a couple of nuclear tests at that time. they had plutonium for at least 10 to 15 nuclear weapons and they were still working on long-range nuclear missiles. they had one flight tests in

1998. today, the situation is different. there was an excel a ration of north korea's -- there was an korea'stion of north in 2015, 2016, and 2017. in 2017re leaps forward and some of us believe that the north koreans hit a pawn. it may have been transferred from a third party. engine.arly good host: what third party. -- third-party? is some debate, but the engine used in this missiles seem to be similar to that of a russian design made at a ukraine factory. does not me at the russians hel -- does not mean that the

russians helped in any way, but they did achieve significant progress in 2017. bisurprising. was a they are at the point where they two toiver a warhead or a point on the continental united states. that would be suicide for the torth koreans, but that tes and capability is going to become more reliable and they are going to have a larger arsenal. this is the time to freeze and reverse this dangerous program. host: coue more calls with daryl kimball. dominic is in clarksville, georgia. caller: hi, i want to talk about the human rights. to be concerned

about the human rights and it is extremely important. but it is no more important than life itself. if there is a war, there is a lot of human rights lost, hundreds and thousands. i think the democrats and the media will pull back their hate a little bit and trump is not going to perform any miracles. if he takes one step at a time, let's get this done and work with the human rights on the side. give the guy a break. we do need to prioritize the issues that we are working on with north korea. i think every president has got to make some choices about which issues they are going to put on top and bilateral negotiations. the trumpard, administration needs to have the room to negotiate with the north koreans, but the

administration for its own interest needs to better inform congress what their strategy is. they needs to provide more detail about what is happening. it is understandable that there is a lot of skepticism on tol hill about this process. not because they distrust president trump, though they may have their concerns, but they distrust the north koreans. president trump would do well to brief members of congress better on the strategy and the process. they have gotten very little information so far about the evolving strategy. host: in midland, georgia. florida, i am sorry. david is in florida. caller: good morning. host: good morning, david. caller: i am wondering and i'm about what. kimball,

might be a first indicator that north korea is not serious about denuclearizing? it occurs to me an unwillingness ide a detailed inventory bematerial and weapons might an indication of that. i'm wondering about your opinion . guest: i think you are exactly right. that is a good question, how are we going to know the north koreans are serious about this process and are they going to take the necessary steps? i agree, that is one of the key indicators. will the north koreans provide a detailed declaration and inventory of their nuclear materials, stockpile, their facilities, the history of their program -- all of this is

necessary for the international atomic energy agency, that they had verified that they have shut down all of the related elements of the north korean program. that is a key step. i would hope that comes in the process. it can take the north koreans quite some time to pull that together. that is something that secretary pompeo should be pushing for at an early phase of the process. host: last call for molly in texas. caller: good morning. it is a wonderful thing to see. i would like to thank rex tillerson for the step in the right direction. thank you. guest: we after member that this did not come about in the last couple of months. -- we have to remember that this did not come about in the last couple of months. there have been a number of figures.

we saw earlier today of president trump and kim jong-un shaking hands and meeting, i could not have imagined seven months ago shortly after the last korean icbm test. i am very glad to see talking going on rather than rising tensions. we have got to remember that while president trump excepted the invitation it, went to the meeting t meeting, moon in of south korea helped broker the meeting itself. u.s. andt together north korean officials shortly after the olympic games in south korea. this plays an important part and there are others in the trump administration who have played an important part including secretary pompeo and others. done is much more to be

and this is only the first step. for steadybe looking progress on concrete measures l towds the ultimate goaf a piece regime on the peninsula. host: i hope you can come back and talk to us about it down the road. thankvery you, much. host: it is good to be joined by michael o'hanlon, the research and foreign policy director at brookings institution. what is your take away from this summit as it comes to a close? guest: it is ok. it is obviously not a specific plan. not even the outlines. at the high level of oratory and vision. that is ok because there is a near-term follow-up. in terms of things